AAPI Victory Fund is a left-of-center super PAC working to elect Democrats by mobilizing Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters. The group has attempted to flip Texas to Democratic control by making a large investment in support of the Texas Democratic Party and Democratic infrastructure in the state. ¹

In March 2024, the group endorsed President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, along with two other Democratic Party-aligned super PACs, and the three groups pledged to invest $30 million in the 2024 election to reach non-white voters. ²

Background

Democratic Party operative Shekar Narasimhan founded the AAPI Victory Fund in January 2016 to mobilize Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders on behalf of Democratic candidates. In the 2012 presidential election, then-President Barack Obama received 73 percent of the Asian American vote, but only 47 percent of Asian-Americans turned out to vote. Asian Americans were the fastest-growing minority group as of 2016. ³

The super PAC did not initially focus on TV ad buys but instead focused on increasing voter registration in Ohio, Virginia, Nevada, North Carolina, Colorado, and Florida, where the potential Asian-American vote could be larger than the margin of victory. ⁴

During the press conference announcing the launch of the super PAC, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and then-Deputy Labor Secretary Chris Lu, who was one of the highest ranking Asian-Americans in the Obama administration, accompanied Narasimhan. ⁵

The super PAC encouraged Asian Americans to vote for Democrats by appealing to them on immigration, education, and civil rights issues. In the 2016 election, the group focused on immigration criticizing the rhetoric of “hate and bigotry.” ⁶

Activities

2020 Election

In January 2020, the AAPI Victory Fund endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president over his Democratic primary opponents, who included three Asian Americans. The group cited Biden’s experience and concern for Asian American issues. ⁷

The group pledged to deliver one million new voters for Democrats in the 2020 election. The group pledged to work in battleground states where the Asian American population was larger than the margin of victory in states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, and Arizona. ⁸

Texas

In October 2020, the AAPI Victory Fund bought $50,000 worth of ads with Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund in Asian American newspapers in Texas attacking Republican Texas legislators for their votes against gun control. ⁹

In June 2021, the AAPI Victory Fund announced plans to invest several million dollars over the next decade to flip Texas from Republican to Democratic control. The group planned to invest in the Texas Democratic Party and in Democratic infrastructure in the state. The group cited the growing numbers of Asian-Americans in the state as a way to swing the state. The group cited work by Democrats in flipping Georgia in 2020 as a model for its work in Texas. ¹⁰

Associated Think Tank

In April 2021, the AAPI Victory Fund created the think tank AAPI Victory Alliance which was a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Advocacy. The group cited increasing hate and violence against Asian Americans in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic as reasons to create the think tank. The group wants to use the think tank to advance policies beneficial to Asian Americans. ¹¹

Pressuring Democrats To Hire More Non-White Staffers

In March 2022, the AAPI Victory Fund, along with the Latino Victory Fund and Collective PAC, pressured Democrats to hire more non-white staffers and consultants. The three groups also announced they would make resumes available for Democrats who needed potential staffers and consultants. ¹²

2024 Election

In March 2024, the Democrats credited in part outreach by the AAPI Victory Fund for helping Tom Suozzi win a U.S. House special election in New York. The group sent direct mail in the native languages of Asian-American voters in the district, organized robocalls by community leaders, and translated Democratic messaging into several languages. ¹³

In March 2024, the group endorsed President Joe Biden’s reelection. The group, along with the Latino Victory Fund and Collective PAC, pledged to spend $30 million targeting non-white voters. The endorsement announcement cited the cancellation of student debt, record breaking job creation for Black and Latino Americans, fixing healthcare disparities among races, and reducing unemployment rates for Asian-Americans. ¹⁴

Leadership

The AAPI Victory Fund’s president and CEO is Washington state Senator Joe Nguyen (D). ¹⁵

Lihn Nguyen is the executive vice president and COO. She is a Democratic Party political consultant who worked on the campaigns of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s (D-TX) campaign for Texas governor. ¹⁶

Shekar Narasimhan is the founder and chairman. He is a businessman and Democratic Party operative who sits on the board of the Democracy Alliance. He also sits on the Economic Advisory Council for the Center for American Progress and the Policy Leadership Council of the Urban Institute. ¹⁷

Finances

As of March 31, 2024, AAPI Victory Fund has raised $1,302,796, spent $1,279,675, and had $181,978 cash on hand for the 2024 election cycle. ¹⁸

1. Briseno, Alex. “Asian American, Pacific Islander Super PAC Pledges to Invest Millions in Texas.” Dallas Morning News, June 3, 2021. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/06/03/aapi-progressive-super-pac-pledges-several-million-dollar-investment-in-texas-democratic-party/.
2. “AAPI Victory Fund Endorses Biden for Re-Election – the American Bazaar.” The American Bazaar -, March 11, 2024. https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2024/03/11/aapi-victory-fund-endorses-biden-for-re-election-456183/#google_vignette.
3. Khalid, Asma. “New Asian-American SuperPAC Formed to Increase ‘The Power of Our Vote.’” NPR, January 14, 2016. https://www.npr.org/2016/01/14/463058466/new-asian-american-superpac-formed-to-increase-the-power-of-our-vote.
4. Khalid, Asma. “New Asian-American SuperPAC Formed to Increase ‘The Power of Our Vote.’” NPR, January 14, 2016. https://www.npr.org/2016/01/14/463058466/new-asian-american-superpac-formed-to-increase-the-power-of-our-vote.
5. Khalid, Asma. “New Asian-American SuperPAC Formed to Increase ‘The Power of Our Vote.’” NPR, January 14, 2016. https://www.npr.org/2016/01/14/463058466/new-asian-american-superpac-formed-to-increase-the-power-of-our-vote.
6. Khalid, Asma. “New Asian-American SuperPAC Formed to Increase ‘The Power of Our Vote.’” NPR, January 14, 2016. https://www.npr.org/2016/01/14/463058466/new-asian-american-superpac-formed-to-increase-the-power-of-our-vote.
7. “AAPI Victory Fund Endorses Joe Biden for President.” Democracy In Action. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.democracyinaction.us/2020/interestg/aapivictory011720pr.html.
8. “AAPI Victory Fund Endorses Joe Biden for President.” Democracy In Action. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.democracyinaction.us/2020/interestg/aapivictory011720pr.html.
9. “Everytown Launches $50,000 Print Ad Buy in AAPI Newspapers in Partnership with AAPI Victory Fund to Mobilize AAPI Voters in Dallas and Houston.” Everytown, October 20, 2020. https://www.everytown.org/press/everytown-launches-50000-print-ad-buy-in-aapi-newspapers-in-partnership-with-aapi-victory-fund-to-mobilize-aapi-voters-in-dallas-and-houston/.
10. Briseno, Alex. “Asian American, Pacific Islander Super PAC Pledges to Invest Millions in Texas.” Dallas Morning News, June 3, 2021. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/06/03/aapi-progressive-super-pac-pledges-several-million-dollar-investment-in-texas-democratic-party/.
11.  Manchester, Julia. “AAPI PAC Launches Nonprofit, Think Tank amid Rise in Hate Crimes.” The Hill, April 12, 2021. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/547632-aapi-pac-launches-new-non-profit-think-tank-amid-rise-in-hate-crimes/
12. Miller, Sean J. “AAPI Victory Fund, Latino Victory Fund and Collective PAC Join Forces to Put a Spotlight on Hiring.” Campaigns & Elections, March 9, 2022. https://campaignsandelections.com/industry-news/aapi-victory-fund-latino-victory-fund-and-collective-pac-join-forces-to-put-a-spotlight-on-hiring/.
13. Marquez, Alexandra. “Democrats Hope to Court AAPI Voters in Crucial Battleground Districts.” NBCNews, March 5, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/democrats-hope-court-aapi-voters-crucial-battleground-districts-rcna141451.
14. “AAPI Victory Fund Endorses Biden for Re-Election – the American Bazaar.” The American Bazaar -, March 11, 2024. https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2024/03/11/aapi-victory-fund-endorses-biden-for-re-election-456183/#google_vignette.
15. “Who We Are.” AAPI Victory Fund. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aapivictoryfund.com/team.
16. “Who We Are.” AAPI Victory Fund. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aapivictoryfund.com/team.
17. “Who We Are.” AAPI Victory Fund. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.aapivictoryfund.com/team.
18. “AAPI Victory Fund, Inc. – Committee Overview.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00589507/.